1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to protective athletic apparel. In particular, it relates to a protective athletic undergarment. More particularly, it relates to an article of padded moisture-wicking athletic underwear and system for sport performance monitoring of a force of traumatic impact.
2. Description of the Related Art
Padded protective athletic clothing is a well known solution to the problem of mitigating injuries sustained by participants in an athletic event. Such clothing typically consists of padding elements secured in pockets, or sewn into the outerwear fabric of athletic clothing, in order to protect an athlete from blows experienced by the wearer and delivered by other participants, or the objects of the event.
One such example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,789, to Dorm, for a protective body suit formed of a stretchable material which defines a pair of leg openings, a pair of arm openings, and a neck opening. The body suit is sized and shaped to conform to the body of the user. A pair of side pads is secured to the body suit, between the arm openings and the aligned leg openings. A pair of resilient shoulder pads is secured to the body suit between the neck opening and the respective ones of the arm openings to protect the shoulders of the user. The pads are held securely in place against the body of the user during athletic activity with shoulder straps secured over the shoulders with hook and loop fasteners.
Other approaches to providing solutions to the problem of protecting an athlete from injuries associated with traumatic impact are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,620 to Pecoraro (a impact abosorbing vest), U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,327 to Markve (a air-cell coverall suit), U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,362 to Rolando (a impact-resistant ski jacket), and U.S. Pat. No. 3,135,961 to Roderick (a free-hanging, padded T-shirt).
While the foregoing articles of protective clothing offer some utility, what is needed is an improved article of protective underwear designed to protect a participant from a blunt force of traumatic impact, but which is flexible, conforming, light-weight, and moisture-wicking. Moreover, it is desirable to provide an article of padded moisture-wicking athletic underwear with and integrated system for sport performance monitoring of a g force of traumatic impact. The present invention satisfies these needs.